Headlight



1,519,345 C. H. ALLEN HEADLIGHT Filed July 22 1921 Patented Dec. 16,v i924.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. ALLEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 y THE ALLENLITE CQMPANY, A. CORPGRATION OF ILLIHOIS.

nnannienfr.

Application filed` .uly 22, 1921. Serial No. 486,777.

['0 all 'whom it may concern: l `Be it known that I, CHARLES H. ALLEN, a citizen oi' the United States, and a resident of the city of` Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented .certain new and useful Improvements in a Headlight; and I do hereby declare that the following is' a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference'being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the nu- ;merals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specilication. l This invention relates to improvements in headlights, particularly those adapted for use with automobiles or the like,

be evident that the same can be applied to anyform gf light desi ed to project arallel rays such as a searc light or light ouse, or any other such device.V

Another object of this invention is to provide adjustable means by which the direction of light from a lamp or delector placed in any convenient posit1on may be changed so as to project along the road at no great height above the roadway.

A further important object of this invention is the provision of a headlight which has'v an adjustable reflector made in sections so thatthe rays rejected therefrom can be brought into an desired relation to each other by a simple adjustment of the dilierent ortions of the reector', these reflecting sections being adapted to additionally illu-` minate the sides of the road.

A still further important object of this inlvention is the provision of a headlight for automobiles having means provided to eliminate the blinding glare common to such headlights and which glare often confusesl Lan approaching driver resulting in accidents.` v.

This invention is designed to so direct the rays of light issuing from the parabolic rellectors that they will not be thrown upwardly beyond a certain height, say about three'or teur feet, so that there will be no j l -bility o'fany of the rays enterin the eyes of-an approaching pedestrian or river of another automobile.

'-It is furthermorel unimportant object of invention to provides. headlight so de- -sign'ed to direct the rays projected therefrom that-the, road in front of the automobileI Y shall be perfectly illuminated'for the convnienee of the driver of the vehicle without but it will causing any annoyance to the drivers of approaching vehicles, it being a well known fact that in the ordinary headlight equipped with aparabolic reflector, the rays are not all parallel and soine are didused to quite a considerable angle and sometimes extend to quite a height above the road; and it will., moreover, be evident that if the light is all directed downwardly upon the road, the driver of the vehicle equipped with the light of this invention will be much less liable to any accident or bumps or jolts resulting from holes or obstructions in the road, which will be much more clearly visible.

Other and furtherv important objects of this invention will be apparent from the dis closures in the accompanying drawings and following specification.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:V

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of the improved headlight as contemplated by this invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the assembled light.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the headlight taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Figure l.

As shown on the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates'a casing in which the lamp and reflectors of the invention. are placed. The casing l0 is pro1 vided with a circularopening in which a plate or lens 12 is litted.A Attached to the upper wall or top of the casing 10 is a downwardly extending parabolic reflector 14 as shown in Figures l and 3 within which is placed a globe or electric light 16 mounted in a suitable socket 18 fixed to the top of the casing 10. A reflector made in two curved portions 20 and 22 and hinged at 24 as shown in Figure 1 is placed immediately beneath the parabolic reflector 14 and is adapted to reflect the rays of light coming from the reflector 14 outwardly in front of the .machine carrying the headlight andv in a' horizontal direction.

` -The hinge 24 has a pintle and is formed ,by

" while-the spaces between the ears 36 accommodate the ears 37. Each of the ears 36 and 37j must stand, as shown in Figure 4, at a.

small angle with its mirror in order that the pintle of the hinge xshall be straight. Y The urpose of the hinge is to permit of an ad- I]ustn'1ent of the reflecting members 20 and 22 about such hinge, relative to the casing 10, the reflector 14 and to each other. This is accomplished by means of set screws or' the like 26 and 28 which may be operated from the' rear of the-casing 10 by heads eX- tending therethrough securedl by lock nuts. 32 as best shown in Figure 1. It is 'obvious l.that the huyiber of mirrors may: bevaried las desired.

It will be obvious thatr other waysaof hingin be use and also that if desired, plane mirrors may be substituted. This construc-` tion, however, is preferred as it diffuses the light more efiiciently and spreads the same in sort of a fail-like ray towards the sides of the road. It will further be evident that only one side or half of each reflector need be made curved as shown, because the portion adapted to reflect the light outwardly towards the sides of the road only consists of one-half of the' lens, namely, that half `upon the outer side of the lamp, which may be first on the left-hand sideand then on the dri ht-hand side, depending upon the side o the automobile to which the lamp is to be xed.

It willbe seen that'by the use of the ape paratus of this invention, all those rays which issue from the 'parabolic reector 14 will be caused to Aproject forwardly from two curved mirrors together may.

the 1am in a horizontal direction. Thisl is accomp ished b means ofthe reflectors() and 22, the position of which can be adjusted as required so as not to throw the light -road at a distance between 20 and 200 `feet ahead of the car so as to make the surface of the 'road visible to the operator thereof, and the remainder of the li ht may be thrown by .the other half of`t e refiecting means parallel to the road so as to illuminate objects a greatdistance ahead for add ditional safety in driving.

I claim as my invention:

In 'a head light structure, a casin an'in candescent lamp secured in one en of said casing and pro]ect1ng 1n a vertical plane, a

pair of curved defiectors havingr a' common parabolic refiector surrounding said lamp,a

hinge, means for independently adjusting eachcurved deector, said curved deflectors being arranged at an angle to a vertical* plane and av vertically arrangedlens in said casing'.I ,i n

In testimony'whereof I have hereunto subscribed my naine in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses;

. CHARLES H. ALLEN. Witnesses: CHARLES HILLS, Jr., CARL'roN HILL. 

